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Molly Cowan-Johnson.
AnonymousI read Iron & Silk by Mark Salzman. I would describe it as River Town lite. This is the true story/memoir of a young man who goes to China to teach (1982-4) English in a college in Changsha (Hunan Provence). Most of the story is dedicated to this young man's involvement in the martial arts. He held a major in Chinese literature from Yale, and spoke both Mandarin and Cantonese, so he didn't seem to spend much time on teaching and didn't have problems adjusting to the language (unlike Hessler, in River Town ). Salzman's primary interest was in taking lessons from people who offered to teach him martial arts and in practicing the skills he learned in those lessons.
As a result, the memoir would be interesting for high school students to read, particularly boys, but I felt the story was self-serving and not especially deep. He was very young when he went (just out of college), and he wrote his memoir as it happened. There was little analysis or introspection; however, he does explain how people respond to him, the cultural context and expectations, etc., of China in the 1980's.
The book is written as a collection of chapters, broken into sections. It is mostly in chronological order, but each chapter can stand on its own, so sections could be used as short examples of memoir in class (high school). And, the memoir could be used for independent reading and/or a literature circle option.
Courtney Lockwood
AnonymousI read Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah and can see why students enjoy this memoir. It is short (199 pages), high-interest, and true -- all of which appeal to my students (high school). As I read this, I was astounded at the emotional cruelty meted out by the author's step-mother and father. Their dislike of her -- she was a girl and her mother died from complications from childbirth so she was blamed for the death -- was open and endless.
This book is nearly in the same category as the very popular memoir, A Child Called It. While Adeline is not abused physically, she must find personal strength to overcome a lonely childhood. She uses her intelligence as a means of success, always hoping that her success in school will win the approval of her father and step mother.
It is an interesting, compelling story. It is written in a matter-of-fact style so the reader empathizes with the author.
Courtney Lockwood
AnonymousFor those of you looking for examples of shamanism, I would recommend Kim Ki Duk's new Korean film "The Bow" (as in bow and arrow). If you’re someone who just appreciates art film, you would enjoy this film too.
The Bow is an allegorical story about an old man living on a boat with a young 16 year old girl, awaiting her seventeenth birthday when he would marry her. The girl is held captive, and the only contact with outside world she has is through fishermen that the old man brings on board to make money. The girl seems very happy in her little world and is completely oblivious of her captive state, until a boy her age comes on board.
The movie is open ended, and full of symbolism and subjectivity. For me, the whole movie is a shamanistic ritual of appeasing a dead spirit. In the movie, you can see elements of shamanism such as divination by bow and arrow, and a traditional Korean wedding ceremony.
This movie is colorful, musical, and rich in artistry and culture. This is definitely my favorite of Kim-Ki-Duk’s films. Here is the link to check out the movie:
AnonymousWhat is it like for a western woman to compete as a salarywoman in a Japanese Corporation? Read the hilarious autobiographical novel by Amelie Northomb called Fear and Tremblings to find out.
Amelie Northomb is a Belgian born in Japan. At the age of six, she moves back to Belgium but, feels that her "Japaneseness" keeps her from fitting-in in Belgium. When she graduates from college, she decides to go back to work in Japan. Her misunderstandings of protocals and tradition of working in a Japanese company constantly keeps her in trouble.
If you don't feel up to reading, check out the movie: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=284098
AnonymousToday's Los Angeles TImes Book Review section (Sunday, August 13, 2006) reviews a book by Washington Post reporter John Pomfret called Chinese Lessons. The author writes that -- like Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China and Wild Grass: Three Stories of Change in Modern China, this tells the story of China's tumultuous change through intimate tales of its people.
In this book, Pomfret tells the story of five classmates who survive the Cultural Revolution and later reform in China, showing how their lives were affected by the immense changes that have occurred in the past 50 years. The review provides a paragraph about each of three of his subjects as well as more information about Pomfret's experiences in China. He was given the scoop on the crackdown at Tiananmen by a friend who was then imprisoned for years for leaking the news which Pomfret didn't use.
This looks like an interesting inside look at several different ways people responded to the revolution and reform, one that would not be officiallly condoned.
336 pages, $26.00
Courtney Lockwood
AnonymousFor those of you looking to hear first hand account of life during Korean War, I recommend "The Three Day Promise: A Korean Soldier's Memoir" by Donald K. Chung. In this book, he talks about how his three day promise to his mom about going back home to see her after a short visit in Southern part of Korea becomes a 40 year one when South Korea becomes separated from North at the 38th parallel. This is a story shared by many Koreans who lived through the war.
AnonymousWhen I heard that there was a book by an American who moved to Japan for a year and actually went through the experiences of becominga geisha, I was intrigued. I found the book Geisha by Liza Dalby to be very lengthy but informative. At the time I read Dalby's book I had not yet read or seen the movie "Memiors of a Geisha" . I wanted to get her perspective first.
Dalby is an anthropologist who moved to Japan to study Geisha. She did have the advantage of fitting in and possibly having the unique opportunity of being accepted into the Geisha communitites since she had lived in Japan before and knew Japanese. She was welcomed by the Geisha community of Pontocho in Kyoto. Kyoto( besides Tyoko) is where most traditional Geisha seem to work in Japan. In her book she walks the reader through what training to be a Geisha would be like for a year. She participated in many Geisha activities, classes and jobs or banquets where she was actually part of the entertainment! She became quite good at playing the musical instrument the shamisen that she had a reputation!. Dalby even had a Geisha name: Ichigiku. Dalby had an oksan (tea house manager) who took her under her wing and was assinged a older sister who helped train her. Her older sister ended up being one of the Geisha that sat next to President Gerald Ford on his publized visit to Japan.
One of the reoccuring topics during the book was who Geisha really are,how they are precieved and misconceptions regarding geisha. She really emphasized how most geisha took the role of geisha because they liked the arts. Traditional geisha spent most of the daytime hours taking lessons of dance, musical instruments and singing. During their heydey they were considered the trend setters and very stylish. Dalby aslo discusses the delimas the geisha faced with modernization/ westernization. If they stayed traditional they loose their trend setting appeal. Another part of a geisha's job was to be able to hold converstion with banquet guests. She needed to be worldly. The role of wives of the guests were usuallyto raise children and cook not to be able to hold conversation about arts or worldly affairs. Geisha were sexy and offered what wives couldn't offer.
One of Dalby's geisha friends isnisted that Geisha were no different from other women. However I agree with Dalby's different perspective. Dalby recollected "This very evening she had danced an acrobatic dance, nibbled snacks from the tips of the tea master's chopsticks, and drunk herself silly. What ordinary Japanese woman ever does such things?(p. 141)" Dalby includes exerpts from Japanese writers during that time period with their opinions. A poet Hagiwara Sakutamo writes "If I hear someone say he is going off to see a geisha, that can mean only one thing nowasays-geisha are not companions of the mind, they are companions of the body." Dalby gives the impression in her book that geisha shouldn't be stereotyped for this. Some geisha would be offended by this generalization. If I understood correctly, certain communities of geisha are known for different talents or personalities. The geisha known to provide more than the traditional entertainment (conversation, dance or music) were the "onsen" geisha from the hot spring resort towns. Dalby visited and interviewed the geisha at the atami hot springs.
Another topic Dalby addressed was who became geisha. From reading her book I am under the impression many were born into it, and or came from poor families who needed the money. Some geisha had dreams of finding a patron who they provided extra service for and in return were set up with extra pay and an apartment. Unfrotunatley for most this wouldn't last forever, and it paid a huge price on their heart. Dalby found that many moved on to be smart business women opening their own bars or tea houses, while ohters dreamed of the cinderella story that one of their patrons would acutally marry them. One very interesting story was of Oyuki Morgan. Geisha usually entertain rich, famous and political guests at the tea houses, but most don't have the luck of Oyuki. An American millionare saw her dance in the famous Miyako Odori and extended his stay in Japan just to get to know her. They ended up marrying and moving to the U.S. I tried looking up this intriguing famous story on the internet and only found another book that mentioned it. If interested it is Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha by Lesley Downer.
Dalby's book is very extensive but other facts I found interesting was the history of the Japanese government opening and closing flower districts. They seemed to go back and forth with which was more important morality or being able to control "the movement of suspicious characters". The governent would place restrictions, require licences and even tried to get invovled in decisions related to how geisha are paid. Dalby breaks down how geisha's made money and how many had to work off their training.
All in all I would recommed this book for your own reading... not necessarily one for the classroom; however you might be able to find some decent sections you could pull out for classroom use that explain traditional culture and give a real perspective on geisha instead of what people just assume from watching movies.
AnonymousI find the topic of geisha quite interesting and have been reading books on this topic lately. After reading Geisha by Liza Dalby I tried researching a geisha mentioned in her book called Oyuki Morgan. I only found another book in which she is mentioned called Women of the Pleasure Quarters: the Secret Histroy of the Geisha by Lesley Downer. Then I cam accrss an interview of this author. I felt sad to read her research on the decline of the geisha population. Dalby had hinted at it in her book giving graphs of the ups and downs of the population. She had mentioned how bar hostesses are more modern these days, but that in the geisha's most popular time period (late 1800s) there were about 25,000 geisha in Japan. According to Downer's interview on http://archieve.salon.com/books/int/2001/02/17/downer/index1.html
the current registries account for 5,000 geisha. Approximently 2,000 true traditional geisha and 3,000 onsen geisha. According to Dalby's book the onsen geisha are the hot spring resort geisha known to provide more than the traditional service. They are what give some geisha a reputation for sex. This is sad news to see that the geisha known for sex now outnumber the traditional geisha. That means the traditional geisha will have that much more of a hard time fighting off the assumtion or generalization that all geisha are like that.
Check out the interview... it also addresses the viewpoints of how westerners precieve geisha.
AnonymousIsn't it amazing how we see East Asia everywhere we look after taking an intensive course? I have been reading Bryce Courney's books on the early days of Australia and New Zealand and marvel at the references to what we learned in E Asia Institue class; ancestor worship by the Maoris, similar to what we studied and opium addiction in Australia, plus the whole China town experience. Although it is not E Asia, since I have only been teaching world histoy for a couple of years, and did not earn my degree in history, I am excited about reading various references to my curriculum in outside readings. Most recently, the Battle of Gallopoli is going to a major component in Solomon's Story, Courtney's Triology which encompasses several generations of pioneer Australian families and events.
Hope to see some of you on a trip to Asia or at the upcoming symposium at UCLA in Oct.
Cathy Crawford
Chaparral High School, Temecula
AnonymousThank you for this suggestion; I look forward to reading it and sharing with my high school students. If anyone gets a chance to see Two Rooms or read the book, it is about an American high school (international) teacher who is kidnapped in Beirut in 1984, also a true story.........very relevant for high school students, considering the conflicts with Lebanon and Israel today. Not quite E. Asia, but it is coming to my town as a play and we have a new community theatre for the venue, so I plan to attend!
Cathy
AnonymousThis sounds wonderful.......I have collab classes in high school which means some of the students have learning disabilities; book appears to have appeal to all of us! Thanks for the offer. I just saw a boy reading about Jackie Robinson the other day during my quiet reading
time.
Cathy from Chapparal, Temecula
AnonymousI was surprised to see the Good Earth by Pearl Buck for sale at Blockbuster.........it is required reading in my school's 10th grade Eng. classes. What a change in culture over the decades and centuries in Chinese (and American) customs. When I visited China in 1976, one of the ladies on our tour was born and grew up in Changsha with missionary parents (in the 30's, I guess) and told us stories very similar. Thanks for the reference.
Cathy from Chapparal High in Temecula
AnonymousI just heard about a book by a prominent Korean contemporary writer Hwang Suk Young called “The Guest”. It sounds very interesting. Here’s the description of the book I found at UC Berkely event site. This book definitely goes on my “to read” list.
The Guest, a novel about a massacre in North Korea wrongly attributed to the Americans that was in fact a battle between Christian and Communist Koreans, was published in 2002. The "guest" is a euphemism in Korean for smallpox, or an unwanted visitor that brings death and destruction, and it is used in the novel to describe the twin horrors that Christianity and Communism became when introduced to Korea.
For more information about the author:
http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/2005.11.04a.html
To check out the book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1583226931/sr=8-3/qid=1156655855/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-4930401-8164111?ie=UTF8
AnonymousI have done a few movie reviews in this forum and plan to do more... however if any reviews I do sound interesting, or you just haven't found many places to buy asian movies... then I have a few suggestions.
I get most of my movies from a company called Drunken Master. They ususally have a booth set up at the Los Angeles Comic Book Convention that happens monthly at the Shrine Auditorium. However they are appartenly located in the Meltdown Comics on 7522 Sunset Blvd. 323-850-5758.
Another place I have seen a farily good size section of Asian cinema is Ameoba Records also on Sunset.
AnonymousI read and saw the movie Memoirs of a Geisha. I read the book first. It was told with such detail and exquisite creative descriptions. I was wondering if these descriptions would carry accross to the movie. The book actually did a better job of describing how in awe the main character was of the kimono, the city, arctitecture,etc... The imagery was quite powerful in her big dance scene of the movie, and in the locations the movie was shot were beautiful as well. The way she expressed herself was far more effective in the book. There were a few times her lovely descriptions from the book were used in the movie, but not enough. The book, as usually books do, definently gave more character development and background. The movie covered her faimly up to when she rqan away from the okiya in minutes, while this was given 100 pages in the book. All in all, I enjoyed both. You can see seperate reviews of both in the forum.